Tom Cusack stacked on eight kilograms to help him make his mark on Super Rugby this year, but the sevens world tour prepared him for the finals cauldron.
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Cusack will lead a back row of finals rookies into the ACT Brumbies' semi-final showdown with the Argentina Jaguares in Buenos Aires on Saturday morning.
The 26-year-old will be joined by Rob Valetini and Lachlan McCaffrey, who are all in the Super Rugby play-offs for the first time in their careers.
Most teams would see losing David Pocock and two-time champion Pete Samu as a crippling blow for title dreams. The Brumbies see it as a chance for Cusack and co to rise to a new challenge.
That's why Cusack, who has filled in for Pocock for most of the year, is relishing his chance to be the breakdown pest in front of wild Argentinean fans.
"They're a passionate crowd here. They're intense and they're in your face," Cusack said.
"Yeah, this is a tough place to play footy. But everyone is excited by the challenge. The level of the game steps up and you've got a lot more to play for.
"I think the sevens has helped me a lot. I've already played in front of some pretty hostile crowds, like my sevens debut in Wellington.
"They were getting stuck into me because we were the Australian team when we ran on to the field. But that's helped massively ... hopefully it helps again this week."
BRUMBIES NEWS
The Brumbies have made just one change to their starting XV, with McCaffrey stepping into the No. 8 role to replace the injured Samu.
Samu strained his left hamstring and then suffered a grade one tear of his right hamstring in the Brumbies' quarter-final win against the Durban Sharks last week.
The Brumbies left him in Canberra to avoid further damage on a trip halfway across the world, hoping he will be fit for the grand final if they beat the Jaguares.
It was a cruel blow for Samu, who had played every game of the season and scored against the Sharks before being forced off the field.
"I was pretty gutted. I'm just trying to get my body right and hoping for next week if we can get the result," Samu said on Thursday.
"It's definitely improving every day. I've just got to do the best I can to get it right."
Cusack will juggle Brumbies and sevens duties over the next 18 months as he continues his Super Rugby journey and sets his sights on a potential ticket to the Tokyo Olympics after signing a dual contract.
He will join the Australian sevens program when the Super Rugby season finishes, return to the Brumbies in January and then aim for Olympic selection next year.
"Tommy's been doing a job for us for two years," said Brumbies coach Dan McKellar.
"There were some big efforts out of him last week and he certainly doesn't fly under the radar with us as a team. We've got a lot of respect and value for what he brings."
Cusack added weight to his frame this year to make him more durable in the contact zone, jumping to 106 kilograms.
"I'm comfortable at that weight and I think my body is finding that good medium," Cusack said.
"We took some steep learning from the last game against the Jaguares ... hopefully it's a different story this time around. The Jaguares will want this, but so do we."
SUPER RUGBY SEMI-FINAL
Saturday: Argentina Jaguares v ACT Brumbies at Jose Amalfitani Stadium, Buenos Aires, 9.05am (AEST).
Brumbies: 1. Scott Sio, 2. Folau Faingaa, 3. Allan Alaalatoa, 4. Rory Arnold, 5. Sam Carter, 6. Rob Valetini, 7. Tom Cusack, 8. Lachlan McCaffrey, 9. Joe Powell, 10. Christian Leaiifano, 11. Toni Pulu, 12. Irae Simone, 13. Tevita Kuridrani, 14. Henry Speight. 15. Tom Banks. Reserves: 16. Connal McInerney, 17. James Slipper, 18. Les Leulualiaali-Makin, 19. Darcy Swain, 20. Murray Douglas, 21. Jahrome Brown, 22. Matt Lucas, 23. Tom Wright.
Jaguares: 1. Mayco Vivas, 2. Agustin Creevy, 3. Santiago Medrano, 4. Guido Petti, 5. Tomas Lavanini, 6. Pablo Matera, 7. Tomas Lezana, 8. Javier Ortega Desio, 9. Tomas Cubelli, 10. Joaquin Diaz Bonilla, 11. Matias Moroni, 12. Jeronimo de la Fuente (c), 13. Matias Orlando, 14. Sebastian Cancelliere, 15. Emiliano Boffelli. Reserves: 16. Julian Montoya, 17. Nahuel Tetaz Chaparro, 18. Enrique Pieretto, 19. Marcos Kremer, 20. Francisco Gorrissen, 21. Felipe Ezcurra, 22. Domingo Miotti, 23. Ramiro Moyano.